Other Specified Anxiety Disorder — VA Disability Rating Criteria (DC 9410)
Diagnostic Code 9410 · 38 CFR §4.130
What Is It?
Other specified anxiety disorder is diagnosed when a veteran has significant anxiety symptoms that cause distress or impairment but do not fully meet the diagnostic criteria for any single specific anxiety disorder. Unlike unspecified anxiety disorder (DC 9413), this diagnosis is used when the clinician chooses to specify the reason the criteria are not met — for example, limited-symptom panic attacks that do not meet full panic disorder criteria, or generalized anxiety lasting less than six months. This diagnosis is relatively common among veterans because military-related anxiety may present in atypical patterns. The VA rates it under the same General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders applied to every condition from DC 9201 to DC 9440.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. |
| 30% | Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events). |
| 10% | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. |
| 0% | A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
Evidence Needed
A diagnosis from a qualified mental health professional documenting the specific anxiety presentation and why it falls under this category is needed. Treatment records showing ongoing therapy, counseling, or medication for anxiety symptoms support the claim. Prescription records for anxiolytic or antidepressant medications are helpful. Buddy statements from family or friends describing how anxiety symptoms manifest in daily life provide important context. A nexus letter connecting the anxiety to military service — whether to a specific event, the overall service environment, or as secondary to another condition — is required for service connection.
C&P Exam Tips
Describe your anxiety symptoms in concrete, behavioral terms. Explain what situations trigger your anxiety, how your body responds, how long episodes last, and what you do to cope. Be specific about functional impairment: Can you work consistently? Can you handle stressful situations? Do you avoid certain activities or places? How does anxiety affect your sleep, appetite, and concentration? The examiner needs to understand the severity and frequency of your symptoms and how they limit your daily functioning. If your anxiety does not fit neatly into a single disorder, explain the full range of your symptoms.
How to File
File on VA Form 21-526EZ. Include all mental health treatment records, medication lists, and therapy notes. A nexus opinion from a treating provider is recommended. If filing as secondary to another condition, include the primary claim number and supporting medical opinion. Buddy statements describing daily functional impairment are valuable. File an Intent to File first to protect your effective date.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is not understanding the difference between this diagnosis and others in the anxiety spectrum — the name sounds vague, but it is a legitimate clinical diagnosis with the same rating potential as GAD or panic disorder. Some veterans push for a different diagnosis thinking it will help their claim, when in reality the rating depends on functional impairment, not the specific anxiety diagnosis. Failing to document the full range of anxiety symptoms leads to an incomplete picture during the C&P exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is "other specified anxiety disorder" a real diagnosis?
Yes. It is a recognized clinical diagnosis in the DSM-5. It is used when anxiety symptoms are clinically significant but do not meet the full criteria for a specific anxiety disorder, and the clinician specifies the reason. It carries the same weight as any other anxiety disorder for VA rating purposes.
Will having this diagnosis hurt my claim compared to GAD or PTSD?
No. The VA uses the same rating criteria for every condition from DC 9201 to DC 9440, regardless of the specific diagnosis. Your rating is based on the severity of your functional impairment, not the name of the disorder.